Pigment
by Eternally Ebony
Summary: After an experiment, something about Private changes. Skipper thinks it's nice.


**Disclaimer: PoM does not belong to me.**

The young penguin stared down at the water.

He could see his reflection, crystal clear but choppy, staring back as he looked at it. The wings and feet were smaller than his teammates', but otherwise normal. His black and white feathers were average amongst his species of penguin as well. The same beak as his teammates' was on his face. Those weren't what set him apart. His eyes were.

His unnaturally bright violet eyes.

He knew it was an accident. He didn't blame Kowalski; how was he supposed to know this would happen from a simple mineral experiment? But he still couldn't help feeling depressed at the sight of them. They were abnormal. Unnatural. Strange. They made him a freak.

"Oh, shoot. Are they _glowing_?"

"Really? Let me see." Private hadn't the time to be shocked; a strong grip forced him to turn his head, and stare into the intelligent, deep blue, _normal_ eyes of his leader and friend, Skipper. "Huh... they are."

"Great," The sarcastic response didn't quite fit kind, innocent young Private. He must have truly been upset about the sudden change of color in his eyes. Personally, Skipper didn't mind. In fact, he liked the new color. He found that the color really suited the enthusiastic young penguin, whom often changed moods, or did something the others would have never expected of him. Like Private, the color was unusual, different... interesting. You'd never know what it meant on first glance; it would take some investigation.

So, he decided to cheer him up, "C'mon, Private. It looks nice." A dry, emotionless expression met his own sympathetic one.

"Did Kowalski find a way to change them back?" The younger penguin asked. He didn't need to say who or what 'them' was; Skipper already knew.

The leader sighed, then reluctantly answered his friend's question. "Kowalski said... he said that the only way to restore your natural eye color is to disable your optic nerve. I told him if he did that, even with your approval, I'd strap him down and take him to the dentist." A chuckle sounded from Private, making Skipper grin. A small victory, but still, it was something.

"So, I'm stuck as a freak." The Private stated with a sigh. Skipper stared at him as though he'd grown a second head.

"Alright. Who called you a freak?"

The violet eyes came up, looking into Skipper's own. "Why would you think someone called me a freak?"

"Because," Skipper began, not looking away from his soldier, "You never criticize yourself unless someone else does. Remember when Johnson told you that you were a bad fighter? You trained yourself into exhaustion, and it took me a week to convince you otherwise." No nostalgia could be detected in his voice; that was one of the worst days in his life.

Private remembered it too, "Yeah, and you all but killed Johnson. He acted like a chicken with his head cut off."

"Well, you gotta admit, that _was_ funny..."

"Skippah! ...okay, it was funny."

Private peered at his reflection once again. The bright purple in his eyes was radiating dully. He sighed, kicking the water with his feet and staring at the final refractions of light on the water. He could make out the glowing eyes staring back at him. On his side, Skipper sat with his wing on Private's shoulder and his own eyes on the fleeting violet in the water.

Moments passed before Skipper spoke again, "Do you really think having purple eyes changes anything?"

Private didn't respond at first, but eventually admitted that no, he didn't believe that. He did believe that purple eyes meant something was wrong with him, though. Skipper chuckled, putting his wing around Private's shoulders, and informed him that he's alright.

"Besides... I like the purple eyes. They're more... you."

And Skipper walked away, informing Private that it's well past midnight and he should get some shut-eye. Private looked down, back at the pool he had moments ago been kicking, and saw that the water was calm enough to show his reflection again. Once again, he saw his normal body. Once again, he saw his abnormal violet eyes, staring up at him. This time though, he smiled.

Maybe violet is his color, after all.

**Can I get out of this without a comment? If I can, I won't nag you to review.**


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